That Man under the Lamp-Post
by Great Mistake
Summary: He was almost as tall as the lamp-post itself, and he was complete stranger. The woman chose to share her umbrella with him on that rainy summer day, but as things progress, she finds that some people are better left alone. (AU, Short story)
1. Chapter 1

**This idea has been buzzing around in my head for weeks now. I'll just put a reminder out there that this is completely AU (Alternate Universe) so if people seem out of character, that's fine - if not, completely necessary for the story to progress. **

**I'll also put a note out there that I have little to no sympathy for the following male character. He's not my favorite. He's not . . . well. **

**Also, you may have noticed a lack of characters in the story properties on the last page. This means that: **

**A) You are one of the very few people who will read this story because of the lack of character information.**

**or**

**B) You read the reviews (when and IF they're posted) and absolutely ADORE the following character(s) so you decided to read this.**

**Either way, I welcome you. **

**I'm boycotting characters until Fan Fiction decides to finally put a certain character on the list. There's more info on my profile if that tickles you. **

**The following is a short story, with considerably short chapters. Chapters will be posted every few days-ish. Expect no more than ten chapters from this. **

**Enjoy ~ **

* * *

**1**

**Rain**

The building doors opened simultaneously to let the horde of people through. They all parted their own ways, some going with others, but they all took note as the sky turned gray. That was when a perfect summer's day turned into a perfect summer's nightmare. The temperature dropped greatly, the air was suddenly stiff, and rain began to pour down on the people – soaking those who were unfortunate enough to leave home without an umbrella today. The people started to run to their destination, holding their briefcases or purses overhead. One woman flocked to a bus shelter, leaning against a pole to open her purse and search frantically for her umbrella. She grabbed it, and noticed a sliver of sunlight on her shoe. The people looked up. For two minutes or so, the rain stopped.

People wandered out into the streets - some calling for taxis, others running – and the woman started to open her umbrella. She knew that the sun was only rearing its head to laugh and mock them. It would start raining any second.

And so it did.

Dark clouds engulfed the sun's warm rays, making people run for dear life once more. The woman was calm now. As the rain pelted down on the dry earth, she felt the sulfur-like smell of wet pavement enter her nostrils. It was a smell that took some getting used to, but a smell that she had come to enjoy. People whizzed past her like cars on a highway, some saying sorry, others were simply dashing past with no apology. The woman said nothing to those people, but on normal circumstances, she would have. Today, however, she was in a good mood.

A good mood was a good thing - a very good thing.

Just as she neared the cross walk, she eyed an empty alleyway that led straight to her home. Breaking away from the crowd surrounding her, she walked calmly down the street, not bothering to look back.

When the woman crossed to her street, she found something out of place. There was something that should not have been there. In front of the woman's apartment building, there was a lamp-post. There was a tall, black lamp-post, at least half the size of the building behind it. To the side of that lamp-post, the woman saw a man. He was leaning against it with his hands in his pockets, not caring about the world around him. Nor did it look like he cared that he was soaked. The woman had seen this man before, but she never found the time to formally introduce herself . . . or to tell him to scram.

She pondered what to say to him first, and then she made her way towards him.

"Excuse me," she said softly, "Can you please get off my property?"

The lanky man looked over at the pole he was leaning on. He lifted his shoulder from it and stood up straight. He was even taller now.

The woman tried her best to keep from rolling her eyes. Why did every city guy have to be so damn sarcastic? She meant for him to leave, but _baby steps, baby steps. _

"I hope you realize that you're soaked, sir," said the woman matter-of-factly. "This is going to turn into a thunderstorm soon, and I suggest that you get home and get dry now." Then she added, "While you still can."

"Don't need to," The man croaked. "I'll be gone before you know it."

"You're waiting for somebody, then?"

The man shrugged in response. The woman sighed. She pushed the umbrella towards him. "Take this."

He gave her a reluctant look, but took the umbrella from her. She headed up the stairs of the stoop and fiddled around in her purse before fiddling around with the bronze key. The door clicked open and she stepped in, paying no mind to the man behind her. He ran up the stairs and said, "Wait!"

The woman turned around. The man held out her umbrella towards her. She gave a weak smile and said, "Keep it. I have plenty more."

The man gave her another reluctant look, but shrugged and pulled the umbrella closer to him. "I didn't catch your name."

"The name's Pauline," she held out her hand.

**"**Waluigi," he said, but kept his hand to himself.

Pauline pulled her hand back. "I hope you get home safely."

He smirked. "Doubt it, considering I don't have a home to go back to."

A bolt of lightning pierced the sky and a roll of thunder followed quickly after.

* * *

**I'd very much appreciate it if no one complained about the chapters being short. They're easy to write, and I'm trying my best. **

**Well, Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake**


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

**Arachnophobia**

Pauline didn't bother to check Waluigi's background before letting him into her apartment. Granted, it was a dumb thing to do, but she found it much easier to blame it on the Good Samaritan that lived at the bottom of her heart. She thought that the darn thing was long gone.

Though she never bothered to check _who _Waluigi was, she did check to make sure that he wasn't tracking dirt on her floor. She had just cleaned earlier today.

Waluigi picked up on that, too. The entire place smelled like it was doused in Lysol or whatever cleaning product that smelled like disinfectant and grape medicine. Pauline led him in and closed the door. She tossed her keys on the counter. They landed perfectly on the stack of dated _People _magazines that she never bothered to throw out. Pauline was happy with that toss. She had been practicing.

"I didn't quite understand what you meant by 'I don't have a –" Pauline gasped and pointed at him sitting on the couch.

He jumped up and started shouting: "_I DIDN'T DO IT, I SWEAR! I DIDN'T!"_

Pauline closed her mouth. "What are you – no, I'm talking about the couch. You're soaking wet. And you sat down. On my couch."

He looked behind him, then he laughed. "It'll dry up."

"I know it will, but you won't. There's a bathroom to your right. Don't go into the room to your left."

Pauline knew that after she said that, he was apt to go into that room to the left and find out exactly what was in there.

But, shockingly, he did not go into that left room and trudged right on over to the bathroom on the right. Pauline was sort of impressed, but that feeling passed as the bathroom door closed and another roll of thunder broke the sound barrier. _This storm is getting pretty bad_, Pauline thought. _Good thing I got home in time._

She opened the refrigerator and looked around.

Waluigi stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a wet towel tossed over his shoulder. Pauline looked up from the counter. "You can put that in the hamper. I'll do the laundry tomorrow, I guess."

He threw the towel over to the hamper, missing it by a mile, but he didn't bother to pick it up.

"It looks like it's starting to clear up outside," Waluigi said.

A lie.

"So, I think that I can go now. . ."

Pauline walked over to the phone on the wall. "If you want to get fried out there, be my guest."

He laughed sarcastically. "I'm serious. I shouldn't waste your time."

"You're not wasting my time, Waluigi. You're my guest in a way, so I will treat you as such." Pauline grabbed a paper menu from the kitchen counter. "Now," she looked at him, "do you like Chinese food?"

* * *

The apartment was dark. The lights were turned off for the night, but the light in the hallway outside of the apartment was still on. It was always on.

Waluigi was sprawled out on the couch, watching a TV that had probably one of the crummiest signals ever, but he dealt with it. _Wheel of Fortune_ was on, so it didn't really matter.

Pauline walked into the kitchen and put a dirty bowl in the sink. She turned the water on and started to wash the little bits of white rice down the drain.

"Tomorrow I'll see if I can find you a place to stay."

Waluigi sat up. "Why - wait - you don't have to do that."

"Yes I do," Pauline said with a smile. "You can't stay here forever. Where would you sleep?"

"The couch. The couch is comfy. It's a nice couch."

Pauline laughed. "Nice try, Waluigi, but I'll arrange something for you. You can't sleep on a couch forever." She turned off the water and put the dishes on the dish rack. Then she shook her hands dry. "It'll hurt your back." She walked into the bathroom and closed the door. A little click followed after.

Waluigi's hands covered his face and he let out a long sigh. Why couldn't she just take him in for a little while longer?

The picture on the screen froze. He stood up and banged on the clunky, plastic box.

"_AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"_

Waluigi darted over to the bathroom door. "WHAT?! WHAT?!"

"_THERE'S A SPIDER IN THE SHOWER! IT'S HUGE! OHMYGOD!"_

Waluigi rubbed his forehead. A spider. It's always a spider. "Just wash it away!"

"_NOOOO! IT'S ON THE TURNING-THINGY! I'M NOT TOUCHING THAT!"_

"Pauline, Pauline, listen to me, it's not going to bite you. Just get a cup of water and –"

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT GOING TO BITE ME?! IT HAS FANGS! IT'S A BLACK WIDOW!"_

He sighed. "Then let me in."

"_NOOO! ARE YOU CRAZY?!"_

_You're _making_ me crazy. _"I won't look. Just let me in and I'll take care of it."

" _. . . FINE!" _The lock on the door clicked again and the door slowly opened. Pauline held the hue of her towel close to her chest and hid to the side. She was shaking and pale, but Waluigi didn't notice this. He didn't look.

The spider sat quietly on the wall of the shower. It was indeed big – probably around the size of Waluigi's palm. He was about to grab it, but an idea popped into his head.

A wonderful,

nasty,

idea.

"If I get rid of this spider, will you let me stay here longer?"

"What? No! I told you no! Just get rid of the spider! I can do it myself!"

"Then why don't you?"

She paused.

"I have arachnophobia! I can't stand spiders! They make my skin crawl! Kill it! Just kill it!"

"I'm not asking to stay here forever, only until I get back on my feet."

"I guess so! Whatever! _Please_, just KILL IT!"

* * *

Pauline sat on the edge of her bed, hugging her legs close to her chest. The storm had stopped a few hours ago, but she could still hear thunder in the distance. Waluigi was sleeping on the couch in the other room, as he said he would.

Pauline felt like an idiot. Letting a stranger into her home? Letting him stay longer than she expected? All because of a spider.

_Well, it was a big spider. _

Her good mood was gone. It drifted away with all of her common sense, she supposed.

Maybe this would be a good thing. Maybe she could earn a friend out of this.

And a friend is really what she needed right now.

"Thank you," she called out, loud enough for him to hear in the other room.

There was no response, and that was exactly what she expected from him. Pauline crawled to the top of her bed and pulled back the covers. She wrapped herself in the covers, making her look like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Her eyes landed on the alarm clock on the nightstand.

Before Pauline drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she heard something. It was almost a whisper, but it was loud enough for her to hear.

"You're welcome."

* * *

**Legend has it, if you pinch at the air, you can actually FEEL the cliché. **

**Ah, it was all that I had. I'll be back to my promised schedule of "a few days-ish."**

**Criticism**** or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake**


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

**Klutz**

Pauline had the most wonderful dream. It was set in a beautiful forest. The grass was freshly cut and sparkled. The stream had crystal clear waters that the forest creatures drank from. Little rabbits and deer gathered around her as the birds started to sing their happy little tune. Pauline was wearing a red dress that reached her ankles. The forest creatures all directed her to a weeping willow, whose branches opened to let her in. Under the shade of the tree, Pauline saw a shady figure – taller than she was – and in its hand, there was a diamond ring.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and her Disney-like fantasy ended when she heard the blaring horn of a car across the street. Pauline sat up on the bed and tossed the covers aside. Her bedroom door was opened just a bit – the way it was the night before – and she looked over to the window. The street was congested. Cars of every color stood in place, waiting for the line to move along. Pauline guessed that some big event was taking place today, but she didn't want to find out.

Putting on a robe, Pauline walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She tried not to be too loud, thinking that Waluigi was still sleeping on the couch.

She opened the fridge.

"Didn't I have . . .," she trailed off as she checked again. "I thought I . . ."

She closed the fridge and opened one of the cupboards. The box of cereal that once sat there was gone, too.

"No eggs, milk, cereal . . . I could have sworn I . . ."

She turned around and her eyes widened as she realized the couch was empty. She walked over to it, a smile forming on her face. "He left. He took my stuff and left." She started to laugh. "Of course he did. He got up and _poof! _Gone! Just like my food!" Her smile and laughing attitude were suddenly gone. "I should have never let that jerk into my house!"

She walked over to the counter and opened up a drawer. "_Do the right thing, Pauline. He'll be your friend in the end, Pauline. _That is the _last time_ I do something nice for a person! Why do I always get taken advantage of? Why am I always put down like this?!"

She shuffled through the drawer, but her keys were nowhere to be found. "Oh! And he took my damn keys, too!" She slammed the drawer shut. With sarcasm, she yelled out: "This day just keeps getting better and better!"

Pauline walked into the studio, hoping that Waluigi didn't take the spare, either. While she looked through the cluttered desk, she failed to notice the apartment door opening.

"_Honey, I'm home!_"

Pauline looked up and her face flushed. The sound of her keys hitting the kitchen counter echoed through the rooms. She stormed over to him, clenching her fists.

"WHERE WERE YOU?! AND WHERE'S MY STUFF?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITH MY STUFF?!"

Waluigi walked up to her and smirked. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down, Pauline. I'm back, aren't I?"

She moved away from him. "Don't touch me, you thieving jerk!"

Waluigi released her. "I didn't take your food, by the way. You didn't have any. You're just trying to blame me for it because you don't trust me. I can't believe you." He scoffed and crossed his arms.

Pauline rolled her eyes. She tightened the fabric that kept the robe closed. "You're under my roof, so you have to abide by my rules. Understand?"

He smirked, thinking that the way she tried to show her dominance over him was absolutely adorable. No one has ever 'shown him whose boss' and gotten away with it. Waluigi always ended up on top, even if it meant performing some dark deed. Pauline was a thin and fragile woman, possibly weaker than any man. Waluigi knew he could overpower her any day.

"Rule number one: You are not to leave my _apartment_ unless I say otherwise."

Waluigi shrugged and smiled. "Simple enough."

Pauline kept her glare. "Rule number two: You are not to take any of my _stuff_ unless I say otherwise."

He nodded.

"Rule number three: If I catch you performing acts against either rule number one or number two, you'll never be allowed in this apartment again. Got that?"

"But, but, I killed a spider for you." He folded his hands and quivered his lip.

"No matter if you kill ten thousand spiders for me, rules are rules."

Waluigi inhaled and slouched. He sighed. "Fine, fine." In a mocking voice: "_Rules are rules_."

Pauline ignored this and walked into her bedroom. "I have work today, so you'll have the place to yourself for a while."

"Whoopee."

He tossed himself on the couch and stared at the black screen of the TV.

Nearly half an hour later, Pauline stepped out of her room and started searching through the drawers in the kitchen.

Waluigi snapped out of his daze and looked at her. He was about to ask what she was looking for, but the smell of perfume filled the air. It smelled like ice cream and just about every kind of flower ever.

Pauline closed the drawer and looked at him. Her golden earrings rocked back and forth as she did. Her heels made a clicking sound on the tile as she walked back into her room. Waluigi watched her red dress swivel around her ankles. The smell of her perfume was stronger than ever. It almost made him pass out.

She grabbed a golden bracelet on her vanity and slid it on her arm. She ran her fingers through her hair once more, studying her face from every angle.

"I thought you said you were going to work."

"I am," Pauline said quickly.

"Then why are you all dolled-up?"

"Because," and she left it at that.

She grabbed her purse and keys. She opened the door, but before she left, she turned back to Waluigi. "Don't go anywhere with anything."

"I know, I know."

Pauline rolled her eyes and walked out the door. It slammed shut. Waluigi shot up and leaned against the door. He listened to her footsteps fading down the hall.

"Well," Waluigi turned and looked around the room, "looks like I got some time. What to do, what to do . . ."

He rushed over to her vanity, first glancing over everything she had. Over the years, he learned that what one owns tells more about a person than they ever could say about themselves. He didn't need to touch anything – he didn't _want_ to touch anything – because he knew that Pauline would somehow notice if he did. She was on her toes when it came to him. He would have to control that soon.

On the corner of the vanity, he spied a golden ring collecting dust. He snuck over to the corner and crouched down, reading the small words clumsily engraved around the inside. It was written in that cheesy, romantic italic font, but they were words that Waluigi couldn't understand. He didn't know what it said, but it was probably something just as poetic and cheesy. He stood up, wiping the little specs of dust from his gloved hands.

* * *

Pauline had assigned the rules nearly five hours ago. It took Waluigi nearly five hours to break a rule.

He walked out, knowing that Pauline's shift at Whatever Big Name Co. was probably over. There was a possibility of being caught, but he didn't care. Being caught doing something bad never had such a big impact on him as some would think it would. And anyway, Pauline was Pauline; what would she possibly do to him?

The sun was setting, causing the sky to turn a fiery mixture of orange and red. Waluigi wandered into the remote side of the city, walking on the street across from everyone else. He kept his eyes on the ground, not necessarily sad, but thinking.

Heavy footsteps followed behind him. Waluigi stopped and turned, glaring at the young man behind him.

"It is you! I thought you were –"

"I came here so I _wouldn't _be recognized."

"Yeah, well, when you moved from Diamond City to Brooklyn, I sort of guessed you didn't want to be seen." The young man used air quotes when saying _seen_.

Waluigi rubbed his forehead. "Klutz, you're going to ruin me."

"I wouldn't do that, man! We're for the same thing here. I wouldn't have taken on this weird-ass Human form if I knew that I was going to ruin us." Klutz looked up at him. "I don't let things slip that easily anymore."

"Why do you think we named you 'Klutz'?" Waluigi sighed. "Whatever. Just, stay close to me, keep your voice down when discussing business, and maybe we won't get caught."

Klutz happily walked next to his former instructor and swung his arms back and forth as he walked. He looked up at Waluigi and studied him. "What have you been up to so far?"

Waluigi put his hands in his pockets. "Nothing. I told you before I left: I've given up on _that _ever since _that _happened. There's nothing to it."

"Oh, c'mon. You're Waluigi. You have to have some kind of dirty trick up your sleeve. You always do."

"Not anymore."

"That's bull."

Waluigi chuckled. "I might have something, but –"

"You found an old woman and took her purse! Ah, I knew it!"

"_Shut it, Klutz_," Waluigi hissed. Klutz backed away and closed his mouth. "I didn't steal from an old woman. I don't roll that way anymore." _I shouldn't have rolled that way in the first place._

"Sorry, man. I just . . ." Klutz trailed off. "So, whatcha got?"

"There's a woman that lives across the way. She's got a few things. . ."

"Seems easy enough. What did you –" Waluigi put his hand over Klutz's mouth as a hooded man walked past them. Although this area was pretty empty, a few people walked by.

He moved his hand away. "Keep your eyes open, all the time. I told you this before."

"I didn't notice him."

"Not an excuse."

Klutz ignored him and continued. "What did you take from her? Did you at least break in or sumthin'?"

"No, I didn't break in, and I didn't take anything."

"Nothing? You took something. You _had_ to take something."

"I didn't."

"Why not?"

"Because I just didn't."

Klutz grabbed Waluigi's arm and glared at him. "That's not an excuse."Klutz shook his head and let go of his former instructor. "You've gone soft. I never thought the day would come. The fucking apocalypse is going to take place next week." Klutz started to laugh.

Waluigi struck him. "I'm not soft! I just don't want to take from her! She's . . ." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Klutz rubbed his red cheek and wiped his nose. There was no blood, but it felt like there was. "She's what? Is she hot? Did she poison you or something? Do you suddenly love her? I bet you she's some kind of temptress just waiting to suck out your soul."

"You know what? Go back home. I've taught you enough to keep you busy back in Diamond City. I'm fine on my own."

Klutz stood up and laughed. "No, Waluigi, I won't go back home. That chick is turning you into a weakling. You're letting it all get to your head, just like that one time it happened to me. You snapped me out of it, so I'll return the favor."

"_Go home_, kid." Waluigi started to walk away.

Klutz balled his fists and stomped his foot on the ground. Oh, how he hated when Waluigi called him that. It had been his pet peeve ever since he and Waluigi started working together. Back then, yes, he was younger and above all, naive. But now, he was older, and wiser – more or less. _Kid _was the worst kind of insult.

Waluigi paid no mind to the angry calls of his former student and headed back down towards the street. He kept his head down, not because he felt guilty, but because he wondered what kind of plans Klutz had in store. After all, Waluigi taught him all he knew.

* * *

**Aaaand, I hate this chapter with a burning passion. Mostly because I spent actual TIME on it and it still ended up being . . . THIS.**

**Oh, I revised it, as much as I could. It was a broken plot already, but you know that little voice in your head that likes to tell you what to do? Yeah, I call him Charlie, and he likes to force me to write stuff like this. Once this plot was conceived, my friends, it _never left. _I couldn't recreate it, because it would always turn back into this. I've rewritten it two times now. I think it could use more . . . [makes unintelligible hand gestures]. **

**Klutz was introduced okay-ly. I spent time of trying to fix their broken dialogue, too. This is also the part where the AU ties in, because I refuse to believe in a world where the Mushroom Kingdom and Brooklyn exist. So, there's the Mushroom World and the Other World. Because, why not?**

**Criticism**** or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake**


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

**Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda**

The sun had set a little over an hour ago and the streets were now crowded by everyone else who worked overtime. The city lights were on and set to almost a blinding degree. The lamp-posts on every block turned on simultaneously. Pauline held her purse close to her shoulder, feeling rather paranoid. This was routine, however. Every couple of days Pauline found herself working overtime, and for those every couple of days she would feel paranoid when coming home. Sometimes she supposed it was the dark. Other times she supposed it was her imagination running wild – seeing things for her.

And, although the feeling of paranoia was high on her list of things to consider, Pauline also had her mind on Waluigi. He was probably sitting alone in her apartment, possibly finished with snooping around the place and excitedly awaiting her return, to watch her expression and how oblivious she may be to what he had done. Either that or he had stolen everything she owned and left. But in a way, Pauline doubted that. She knew that her common sense was possibly rolling in its grave, but, surprisingly, she had believed in him. She trusted him. Did she trust him less than she would trust an old college friend? Yes indeed. But it was that little speck of trust that kept her mind – somewhat – at ease.

The closer she got to her home, the less populated the streets became. It was always like this, especially at this time of night. All of the young were out partying and all of the old were home, sleeping.

Pauline grabbed her keys out of her purse as she approached the building. What she didn't expect was to see Waluigi sitting on the stoop. Well, what she didn't expect to an extent. . .

"I thought I said not to walk out of the apartment without my permission," Pauline said that in a nonchalant tone, although she didn't intend to.

"I can't stay inside one place for too long," he said. "It started to get cramped in there."

"I gave you simple rules, Waluigi," she said as she shook her head. "I actually thought that . . ." –she covered her mouth to yawn – "Never mind it."

"You thought that what?"

She waved her hand. "Forget it, forget it." Walking up the stoop, she took out the key to the front door. "How long have you been out here?"

"A couple of hours. That's doesn't matter though." He jumped up to the second stair on the stoop and grabbed her arm, pulling her back with a weakened force. She nearly fell back, but he held her up. "I think it's time that we talk."

Pauline moved her arm away from his hand. "What is there to talk about? You broke a rule and I shouldn't let you into my apartment again."

"But you're still going to let me stay, aren't you?"

Pauline looked away from him. He sighed.

"Why did you give me your umbrella?"

"Because I wanted to be nice, and because you looked like you needed it more than I did."

A pause.

"Though, I wish I never met you."

Waluigi lowered his head. "I've learned that fate is a cruel mistress at times, but I 'spose we all have to learn to get along with her somehow." He turned his attention to a car speeding down the road. "You're just going to have to trust me."

Pauline felt the urge to laugh; she couldn't tell if it was because what he had said was ridiculous or because she was so tired that she needed to laugh to wake herself up. "That's a lot to ask from me, Waluigi."

He turned his head towards hers, giving her a mesmerizing glare. "Is it really?"

There was no response from her. She turned away and opened the door to the building. They walked inside, a haunting silence between them.

Pauline did, in fact, have that speck of trust deep inside her. It fostered, ever so slightly. Why her trust had grown for such an ominous man, she couldn't say. Passion? There was none.

There was something, however, enticing about him – who he was, what the future held for him – and she supposed that was the reason why she had placed more trust in him. It was also possibly the reason why she still allowed him back into her home.

Waluigi said nothing about what was to come next. He was aware that Klutz would probably blow this out of proportion, too. Klutz had a knack for doing that. Waluigi regretted leaving Diamond City and coming over to the Other World to try and 'disappear' for a few years. But on the other hand, she gave him her umbrella.

* * *

**I liked this chapter better. It's incredibly short, but it's more quality over quantity. **

**And, this is something that I completely forgot to mention, but "Waluigi Time"? Is that what all the hip, kool katz say? I'm still stuck on "So long, Gay Bowser!" from Super Mario 64. I'm not a Waluigi fan, so I'm completely oblivious to what his fanbase is doing.  
**

**I spent "a few days-ish" working on both these chapters (3 & 4), but no one expect a double-update from me again. These only happen every once in a blue moon.**

**Probably some OOC from Pauline here, but blame it on tiredness. It's one of those moments where you're so tired you just can't control what you say. **

**Bobby Fruggart: What you smell, sir, is the sent of victory. **

**Criticism**** or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake **


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

**Bed-Ridden**

Pauline had no dreams the night before. Her mind was entirely blank. She couldn't focus on anything, so much as comprehend what she was doing and why. At eight in the morning she found herself walking into a wall.

"Watch your step, Pauline." Waluigi stared at her from the couch.

Pauline didn't listen. She hit her head against the wall again,

_BONK_

And again,

_BONK_

And again,

_BONK_

Until Waluigi darted over to her and pulled her away from the wall. "What's wrong with you?" His voice was sharp, but also concerned.

"I . . . This happens . . . a lot. It might be . . . medical, but . . . I keep it under control . . . mostly."

"Are you sure you don't have to go to the ER?"

Pauline grabbed his shirt tightly, stretching it. "No. They tell me it's just stress. It happened . . . before, when he left." Her skin was a ghostly white, and it seemed to get whiter by the second. She held his shirt tighter. Spittle started to hang down her bottom lip. "I have to call. I won't go today."

She let him go and started to trudge back over to her room. Pauline then fell to her knees and fainted.

* * *

Pauline remained unconscious for the next four hours. Waluigi was almost certain she was dead. He thought about calling the authorities, but what if they found that he didn't live there? What if they started to assume that he poisoned her? Then he would be locked away and he would never see Pauline again. So, he decided to play doctor instead.

Waluigi paced back and forth in the living room. The sounds of a Pop Tarts commercial on the TV played in the background. He thought the sound of the TV could distract him, but it only made him more nervous.

There was a low moan from Pauline's room. Waluigi walked in, slowly opening the door. Pauline was sprawled out with her arms above her head and one leg off the bed completely. Waluigi felt like he was intruding, but it didn't bother him much. He sat down beside her, watching her eyes slowly flutter open.

". . . Haa-How long was I . . ."

"For a while," Waluigi heard himself say quickly. "I think you're better now."

Pauline tucked her hanging leg back into the covers and swallowed spit. "_Better_ isn't really the right word, but at least I can . . ." – she waved her hand around – "I don't know. My senses are still working, so, I guess you can call it a plus."

Waluigi guessed he could.

"Why didn't you call somebody?"

He looked around. "I . . ." He turned back to her. "What? You don't think I can take care of you?"

Pauline ran her fingers through her frazzled hair. "I never said that. I was just wondering if I _did _get some serious injury, why you wouldn't call –"

"You're fine now," he snapped, "so there's nothing to worry about."

Pauline was quiet and looked down. She started cracking her knuckles, making small popping sounds echo through the room. Waluigi let out a sigh of relief, hoping that she wouldn't read too deep into the whole 'not-calling-the-authorities' part. It wasn't like she would, anyway. Her mind was probably still fuzzy from earlier.

"I have to go." Pauline sat up straight, but Waluigi stopped her.

"I don't think you should."

"I have to work. I didn't even call to say that I wasn't coming."

"I took care of it."

Pauline slouched. She arched an eyebrow. "You _called_?"

"No," he scoffed. "I'm not _stupid_. I sent an email."

"With my computer?"

"Yeah."

"Jeeze, that thing hasn't worked for a while. How'd you get it to work?"

Waluigi smiled. "I have my ways." He felt proud of himself for impressing her.

But, in reality, all he did to get it to work was kick and yell at it until the colorful DELL symbol flashed on screen. This, however, was his little secret – one of the many – that Pauline didn't necessarily need to know about.

"Thank you, for helping me."

Unlike before, Waluigi said nothing in return. He gave a small smile, stood up and walked out. He would be right across the way if she needed him, and she knew that too.

* * *

The bright sky soon turned into a black abyss. Pauline only stepped out of her room once to grab a glass of water. There was a magazine under her arm, so Waluigi knew that she was keeping herself entertained without the TV or his presence. There was only silence in the apartment. Neither one said a word to the other, which was perfectly fine. But, when Pauline's door closed for the night, Waluigi felt nervous once again.

The nervous feeling was caused by a plan that he had conjured up earlier in the day. He didn't like the plan at all, but there was no substitute for it. He would have to go through with it, and he knew the consequences.

Waluigi couldn't really describe why he cared for the well-being of a woman who only wanted to do away with him. As much as she may try to hide it, he knew that she didn't want him in her life. He thought it was that one act of kindness – a concept completely new to him – that made him want to stay.

And so, he was the lost puppy and she was the woman that he followed.

He looked over at Pauline's closed door. There was no noise coming from the other side, so he assumed that she was sleeping. Although, he taught himself not to assume things anymore - even the obvious. He turned back to the TV and shut it off.

The apartment was completely dark now.

* * *

**I got this done shortly after I updated the story before. I guess I'm excited because we're nearly halfway done with the story.**

**Or . . . maybe this chapter was filler. **

**Ah, great job, Great Mistake. You just wasted some 20 readers' time, three sheets of paper, two water bottles, and three days working on this. **

**This is sort of a response to chapter 4 in the sense that it's focusing more on Waluigi's POV than Pauline's. I don't like it as much as I liked chapter 4, but I don't hate it as much as I hate chapter 3. It's _okay_. Not broken, just bent. I might have wasted all my "writing genius" with the other two chapters and with everything else in life that requires picking up a pencil and writing words. **

**In regards to Pauline's illness: I know there's a name for it. I've seen it happen before. It's not dehydration, although the symptoms are something like this. It's not cancer, either (my roommate said it sounded like cancer, but it's not). Maybe I just made up an illness on the spot. I can't be sure. **

**Perhaps it is just lack of sleep, but it doesn't make sense, because Pauline sleeps well in this (unlike _Entwine_). But, for now, let's juts call it: Dreaded Disease A.**

**Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake**


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

**Heavy Rain**

The crescent moon was in the middle of the dark sky. The stars were only faint specks of white peppered across the abyss, drowned out by the lights of the nearby city. It didn't take long for Klutz to finish his work. He planned ahead, but he knew that he could _only_ work under the security of the night. Any other time would screw him over. _Duh_.

Klutz stood up and looked at the telephone pole in front of the building. He felt like a superhero, looking over the city with that heroic glare that seemingly only true comic book heroes could create. Klutz was standing on the roof of the building with only a paper in hand. He looked over that paper, doing some mental math (at which he sucked) and tried to play the perfect-case scenario in his mind. Klutz thought this plan was perfect. Maybe working solo wasn't so bad after all.

Yeah. He didn't need Waluigi by his side anymore. Ha! That old fool was probably feeding the poor or performing some wondrous deed because _he was a changed man_.

But, lo and behold, the _old fool_ was right behind him.

Klutz turned around, folding the paper in his hands into squares and putting them in his pocket. Klutz didn't exactly smile, but he didn't frown either. His facial expression was unreadable to Waluigi. "What are you doing here?"

Waluigi let the knapsack slide off his shoulders and hit the concrete rooftop, making a rather loud clanking sound as it did. "I could ask you the same question."

Klutz let out a chuckle – _just one_ – and returned to his solemn composure. "I guess you could, man. Where's the chick?"

"She's not a _chick._"

"Oooo, now I'm dealing with Waluigi the feminist. I'm so scared!"

Klutz's sarcasm was amusing, but Waluigi (for one of the few times in his life) was entirely serious. "I told you to go home."

"And I told you I wouldn't. I'm not leaving until that chick is out of the picture. I mean, look at what she's done to you!"

"_She's not a chick_."

"Girl, lady, whatever. She's messing with you."

"Is that really what you think is going on here?" Waluigi stepped forward. "I said that I was done with doing what I was doing back there. I said it to you, I said it to everybody. I wanted to change, Klutz. She's actually helping."

Klutz tilted his head. "Really?" He started to laugh, but he kept his voice down, lest he wake up the whole building. "It's because she doesn't know who you are. I bet'chu if she did, she'd be fuckin' outta here." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

Waluigi stood there for a moment. He looked back at the knapsack. Then he started to smile. "You know what, Klutz?" He faced the man. "I guess I haven't really changed." He picked it up and said, "Catch." Then he threw the knapsack.

Klutz caught it.

Hastily, Klutz started to force it open. When he looked inside, a grin grew steadily on his face. "I knew that you never did." Klutz sat down and looked through the bag. Waluigi walked closer to him, watching intently.

The knapsack was filled with golden jewelry that sparkled in the slivers of moonlight. They all belonged to a woman and when Klutz pieced two and two together, he looked up at Waluigi. "You actually –"

"I didn't break in, but I stayed with her for a while," Waluigi said. "I took it from her when she was fast asleep."

"_That's_ the Waluigi I know!" Klutz reached into the bag and pulled out a ring. "Man, this baby's worth – what – six-hundred? Pretty good. This entire load has got to be worth a couple grand." He looked up and smiled. "Not bad."

Then Klutz studied the ring further. "Wait, wait, it's got some weird shit on the inside." He squinted, trying to read it. "Tea. Aim-o. Con. Tut-o. Ill. Mi-o. Q-ore." He recoiled, his face twisting in disgust. "Da fuck does that mean?"

"Sounds Italian." _Even though you horribly butchered it, _Waluigi thought, but didn't say.

"Well, sounds like a major price drop to me." Klutz let the ring fall to the ground and stood up. He hoisted the knapsack over his shoulder.

"So, you're going to go back to Diamond City and strike it rich, eh?"

Klutz walked over to the fire escape and grabbed the grappling hook and rope he left hanging on the border of the roof. He took a hold of the rope. "Yeah . . . no. It was a nice try, but I don't believe you. You're gonna have to do better than that." Klutz jumped down. He pulled the grappling hook off the edge of the roof – bringing some crumbling concrete down with it – and ran. Waluigi watched him flee into another part of Brooklyn. The lanky man stood there, wanting to run after him, but also wanting to stay alone on the roof.

Everything he had to go through to get that jewelry, all for nothing.

He turned his attention to the ring on the concrete rooftop. He placed it in his pocket with a sigh. There was truly no point in having it with him now.

* * *

Waluigi returned to Pauline's apartment around dawn. He had a million thoughts running through his head, but he kept them all to himself.

Waluigi closed the door quietly behind him and placed the keys on the pile of magazines, as they were before he left. The door to Pauline's room opened. Waluigi jerked his head towards hers, startled, but remaining calm. Pauline stood in the door frame, completely still. He thought for a moment that she was just sleep walking, but she wasn't.

"Why are you awake? It's" – she looked out her window – ". . . early." Her voice was just as monotone and nonchalant as it was yesterday when her mind was nothing but a white canvas. Pauline showed little to no emotion and Waluigi felt more and more nervous with every passing second. "And you look pale."

Waluigi couldn't say the same for her. Pauline was back to her natural semi-tanned self. He wondered if she knew what she was saying. Then he wondered if she noticed the empty surface of her vanity. "I'm fine, but it's early, just like you said. You should go back to sleep."

Pauline walked out of her room and towards him, but she stopped midway. Her voice became defined and she sounded more or less like her normal self. "I woke up earlier to get a glass of water," she said. (_Was that anger that Waluigi started to hear in her voice?_) Pauline started to shiver. "Everything on the vanity,"

"Pauline."

"_Gone."_

Waluigi stepped closer. "I can explain," he said with a gulp.

"Oh, I'm sure you can, but I don't care." Pauline looked up and down at him. "And I guess you're back for more."

"I'm not here to steal from you."

"Then why did you?!" She sniffled. "When you asked me to trust you, I did, because I thought I could. _I should have never let my guard down around you, Waluigi._"

"I admit that I was wrong," he held his hands up in surrender, "but that doesn't mean that you can't trust me. You _have_ to trust me."

"Why should I?"

There was a pregnant pause. Waluigi could hear his heart beating in his ears – another foreign concept to him – and he didn't like it.

"You broke three rules. I gave you a second chance, but you blew it."

He strode over to her and grabbed her wrists, tightly. "You have to let me stay. Just a little while longer."

"_Isn't that what you said the last time?_" Then Pauline pulled away from his iron grip and fell to the floor. She was on her knees with her head down.

"Get out."

"Let's be reasonable, please."

"_GET OUT!"_

And, with no resistance whatsoever, he did.

The still-rising sun was covered by dark clouds. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. One large crackle of thunder followed after. Waluigi felt the first, plump drop of rain hit his shoulder. He felt his stomach churn and his look was replaced by a solid glare. It suddenly didn't matter what Klutz was going to do to Pauline. Her loss.

Waluigi kept walking down the street as the rain started to fall faster and harder. On the roof of the building across the street lay Klutz, watching closely as Waluigi walked away. He saw the man step out of the building and with any luck, if Klutz could get in, then he would find the chick, too.

Er, _woman._

* * *

**_ . . ._**

**I wish that authors of any kind had a figurative third eye that they could use. E.X.: Authors have two eyes: one for viewing what they're writing from their point of view and one for viewing what they're writing from their character's point of view(s). If authors had a third eye that they could use to read their writing through the eyes of the reader, than most writing in the world would be pretty good. We would know what the readers are expecting, what to fix, what not to fix, so on and so forth. However, authors are cursed with only those two eyes and we have to reach in blindly and hope that what we write is good enough. **

**And the those two eyes only work for the authors who don't have editors. If you have an editor, you have your third eye. **

**Enough with that. **

**This chapter . . . **

**This ~ chapter ~ . . .**

**Well, I think we all know what's going to happen next. Donkey Kong makes a big comeback and something else that obviously isn't the climax. **

**Verran: Neurological! Yes! That was the word! It was on the tip of my tongue, but it never jumped out and said "hey! I'm a word! Use me in your writing!" **

**Derpderpina: Your reviews brought a sunshine smile to my face and the let the weirdest cackle escape my lips. **

**Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome! (I feel like my outro changes from time to time, but the message remains the same.)**

**- Great Mistake**


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

_**This Just In -**_

_Where is he now? _Pauline wondered.

"I don't care," she said aloud.

_Maybe he still has them. Maybe he didn't sell them and he's just waiting to give it back, _she thought.

"We both know that's not true."

Pauline never considered talking to herself a bad thing. She got herself through some pretty stressful situations before. And, she thought that she was great company. While most children without siblings would create some imaginary friends, Pauline talked to herself. On the playground, she would sit facing a wall, cross-legged (or 'pretzel-legged', as it was called back then), asking questions in her mind and answering them aloud.

"I wish I wasn't so stupid." She hugged the throw pillow close to her chest and curled up into a ball. The light from the TV was the only thing illuminating the room.

_And,_ the weatherman said in the cockiest voice Pauline had ever heard, _it seems to me that this is going to be the wettest summer in, say, three years. After this thunderstorm passes over towards New Jersey, New York is expecting another one. Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard, John?_

_John, _Pauline recited the name in her head. There was always a John on the news. Whatever happened to creativity when naming your children?

It was hard to believe that Pauline had spent half the day watching the news. Watching the same stories repeated every ten minutes after a seven minute break for commercials. Was every story emphasized to the extreme? Yes. But, Pauline continued watching the news until she had that one story about an old woman's missing Chihuahua stuck in her head.

It was five-o-clock and the storm was starting to calm down. The sky was a swirly mixture of gray and orange. The sun was on the brink of setting.

_Do you think he's okay? _Pauline's subconscious asked soothingly.

"Why do I care, again?"

_It's not really right to just leave him out there like that. _

"Well, the right things aren't always easy."

_Maybe –_

"Enough with the maybes! He had his chances and he took advantage of them. I'm done with being looked on as some kind of welcome mat."

_Where did the 'welcome mat' come from? _He _never treated you like that. _He _looked at you like some kind of blessing. _

"_He _turned into thin air a couple of years ago. And you know perfectly well where the 'welcome mat' came from."

The 'welcome mat' originated from a grudge that Pauline held since grade school. A grudge that she held against most people – they were always looking for someone to take advantage of. She found it fitting to bring up now.

Shattered glass hit the wooden floor in one of the other rooms. Pauline shot up, straightening out her red dress. She stood up, looking frantically for some kind of weapon. She grabbed a vase and walked into the small corridor.

The sound came from her room.

She pushed the door open lightly. Her grip on the vase loosened and it fell to the ground.

There was a man was on her bedroom floor, probably unconscious.

"Sir, sir, are you okay?"

She rushed over to his side, nervous and nauseous. He grabbed her hand abruptly and looked up. His voice was as sharp as a razor blade.

"_Do as I say, or else._"

Pauline stood back, but he held onto her.

_Where is he now?_

* * *

**See, I could have made this longer, but I don't like to dwell on unnecessary details. It makes me feel like I'm dragging on and I feel uncomfortable with that. And I can't go into detail well. **

**The only other event after this is the event after this, so I couldn't really fit it all in. It would be too much too soon. Plus, Klutz's plan deserves a little more build-up. Hopefully I won't disappoint. **

**There you have it. The shortest chapter in my first short story. Wonderful, idn't it? **

**I don't like it, I don't hate it, I just didn't know what to do with it. It's one of those scenes that I don't like but have to be put in the story for it to progress. My only favorite part was describing the news through Pauline's eyes. **

**Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake **


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

**Take the Plunge**

"You suck, dude."

"No I don't! You do!"

Two boys sat in front of the TV, playing video games on the cubed console. The red-head snatched the controller from the other's hands and started to furiously push buttons.

"Hey! I was almost done!"

"Yeah, but you suck."

"MOM!"

The other boy's mother called from the kitchen: "I thought you two were friends!"

"We were, until I realized that Zach sucks."

Zach crossed his arms and whined, "That's not funny, James!"

"I know it's not funny," James snorted, "it's hilarious!"

Zach scoffed and stood up. "Do whatever you want, dude. This is the last time you're staying over at my house."

"So I'm coming back again next week then?"

Zach ignored him and walked over to the window. He looked out to the construction site across the street. It was nothing but a red frame of what looked like a soon-to-be office building. The frame was about ten stories high with a big yellow crane standing next to it. He wished that the crane had a wrecking ball attached to the bottom so he could see some destruction. After all, the site hadn't been touched in years.

But, he could have sworn he saw two figures walking – no, _running_ – towards it.

"Hey," Zach smiled, "looks like we got some nighttime lovers off the port bow."

James paused the game and shot up. "Really?" He ran over to the window. "Lemme see!"

Zach's mother darted into the room. She grabbed the curtains to the window and hoisted them shut. "I think it's time for bed."

"Mom, it's ei –"

"_Bed._"

The two boys were about to let out a long sigh (it was their signature 'thing') but all the lights in the room suddenly turned off.

"Whoa," James said in awe, "I guess even the big guy wants us to sleep, too."

Zach punched him in the shoulder. "It's not that, dude. I just saw every light outside turn off." He opened the curtain windows and looked outside. Sure enough, every light that once illuminated the streets was dead. "See?"

Zach's mother looked around. "It must be one of those monthly tests."

"I don't think so, Mrs. Z." James looked at the telephone pole across the street. The transformer sparked and the wire fell. It started to seizure on the concrete sidewalk until it burst into a small flame that blew out quickly. The same thing happened to the telephone poles around the other block. "Whoa, bro, that looks amazing."

"They're overheated," Zach said. "The telephone poles have been wired or something."

People started to walk out of buildings to look at the odd sight. They stayed close to the doors, afraid of getting hit by a hay-wire electrical charge. _It's a good thing that the storm stopped earlier_, some thought. Everyone stared at the telephone poles in puzzlement, unsure of what was going on or what caused it. It was eerily quiet until one woman shrieked:

"_THERE'S A WOMAN UP THERE! ON THE BUILDING!_"

* * *

Waluigi looked down at the green pipe before him. He looked behind him one last time. Maybe giving himself in wouldn't be too bad. Life in solitary confinement didn't sound as bad as being frowned upon by the only woman that actually attempted to show kindness to him. He sighed and positioned himself over the pipe.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the street. They stopped in front of the alleyway.

"Mark, what the hell are you doing?"

"Todd, I swear," – Mark inhaled – "the craziest shit is going on over by the old construction site!"

Waluigi looked over his shoulder and watched the two men. Luckily for him, they were oblivious to his presence.

"Some lady in a red dress with another guy is stuck on top of the frame!"

"Call 911 then."

"No! I don't have any reception!" Mark looked around. "The telephone poles, and the cell tower nearby, all throughout Brooklyn, they've been cut!"

As if to further prove Mark's point, the transformer on the telephone pole across the street sparked and a wire fell.

"Christ!" Todd and Mark backed up.

"I knew I should have stayed in Chicago," Todd said.

"C'mon, T!" Mark grabbed Todd's wrist and pulled him away towards the old construction site.

Waluigi returned his attention to the pipe. He started to leave, but he stopped.

_Her loss._

Pauline didn't want to see him again, and he was willing to abide by that (surprisingly enough). With a scowl, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned back towards the pipe.

Then he felt a small object inside his pocket and he stopped once more.

* * *

**I finished writing this ahead of time, so expect quicker updates. **

**So, _I _liked this chapter. I just like that it's told from the city's POV rather than one of the main characters'(s) POVs. Mixes things up a bit.**

**The small clippy-thingies on the telephone poles are called transformers - believe it or not - and no, they don't turn into robots. But, they _can_ explode, and that's the fun part. So, now you can piece together why Klutz was being Batman earlier. **

**Have I made some scientific mistake when writing this? Sure, but it's all in a day's work of a user whose name implies that she'll make a few mess-ups. And I think that it wouldn't really distract from the reading anyway. **

**Criticism**** or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake **


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry to interrupt anyone's reading experience, but I just want to put out something quickly:**

**My account was hacked into the other day (it was all my fault, actually. I deserved it. I forgot to log out before I left) and my roommate posted something up. I doubt most people saw it, but I just want to say that I apologize if anyone saw it and got confused or scared because of what my roommate posted. I'd rather not talk about it, but just know that what doesn't sound like me and has my name on it (my username, that is) is not my work. I always put my outro on my works and I rarely use emoticons. Review-wise, I'll always be signed in when I review from now on. **

**Sometimes you gotta learn things the hard way, you know?**

**Enjoy ~**

* * *

**9**

**Tick-Tock**

Pauline was on her knees, looking down at the world that crowded together to stay away from the still-snapping transformers. A cool breeze drifted through, giving Pauline more goose bumps. Even if she had been in this situation before, she would never get used to the feeling of inevitable peril.

"Please, don't –"

"Shut up!"

She looked behind her, facing the hooded man who looked away. He appeared to be waiting for someone, but she couldn't say who.

Her voice was shaky, but she was still curious. She slowly asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Klutz laughed. "You'll see."

"What have I ever done to you?"

He pivoted around. "It's what you've done to _him_."

Pauline shook her head. "I don't –"

Klutz grabbed her and shook her, chanting: "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Let go of her."

The man pulled Pauline back far enough to send her to the cold surface of the red beam back-first. "I knew you'd come back, man," Klutz said with a chuckle. "Don't worry. We're almost done here."

Waluigi clenched his fists and slowly walked across the beam towards Klutz. Klutz grabbed Pauline's arm and pulled her up. "Take another step and the dame drops."

Waluigi froze.

"You've got nice taste." Klutz pulled Pauline closer to him. "Sorta sucks that I have to get rid of her."

"Waluigi," Pauline said, her voice higher-pitched from fear, "what is he –"

Waluigi glared at her, forcing her to shut up. He looked back at the hooded man. "Don't do anything stupid, Klutz." He took a small step forward.

Klutz pushed Pauline closer to the edge. "Move again and she falls!" Klutz watched as Waluigi took a step back. Klutz smiled and realized that he had Waluigi in limbo.

"Remember that time when you taught me about morality?"

Waluigi nodded.

"I had to choose between riches or my friends." Klutz laughed at the thought of it now. "And I chose my friends." His eyes wandered. "You remember that, right? This is sort of like that, 'cept _I'm_ the teacher and _you're _the student." Klutz waved Pauline's arm around. "And the consequences are a little more deadly."

Pauline gulped.

"Okay," Klutz began, "You have to choose between the lady or your riches back in Diamond City. You can choose only one."

A momentary pause.

"The lady."

Now silence.

. . .

. . .

"_Wrong choice."_

Waluigi watched as the world slowed down. He saw Klutz let go of Pauline's arm and turn. Klutz raised a leg and his foot slammed into Pauline's chest, forcing her to lose all sense of coordination and sending her off the beam before she could even scream. She started to fall, clawing at the air for something to hold on to. Klutz looked down, a mad smile on his face. Waluigi ran across the beam, pushing Klutz to the side, unintentionally knocking him off.

The world sped up again as Waluigi fell.

"_SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!"_

Another transformer popped. Pauline thought that horrible popping noise would be the last thing she would ever hear.

The white spark was brighter than all the others. The wire snapped, but its charge hit the pole, causing it to catch fire. Everyone screamed. Pauline thought she was surely dead now.

Yes, the comforting warmth she felt was obviously from the cloud on which Heaven lay. She would be with her loved ones soon. She wondered if she was in Heaven at all. Maybe this was Hell.

She opened her eyes.

She was _alive_.

Pauline found her arms wrapped around Waluigi's neck as they swung back and forth on an old rope some fifty feet off the ground.

She tried to speak, but she couldn't. Her mind was a mess of thoughts and there was nothing _to _say.

A man waved his hands in the air and shouted: "_I GOT HELP! I GOT HELP!"_

Police sirens blared and the sound of cars racing down the street in the distance could be heard. Everyone by the burning telephone pole tried to put out the fire. Buckets of water and fire extinguishers were rushed outside. Two boys even tried to open the fire hydrant across the way, without the knowledge of what they were doing was illegal. All the people started to wonder if the person on top of the building was the same person who caused the transformers to explode and the power to go out.

Waluigi looked at Pauline, who clung onto him for dear life. He lowered them down slowly. When their feet touched soil again, Pauline let go of him, still shivering. He grabbed her arm gently and led her out of the construction site before the police came. They said nothing to each other.

Klutz felt his pudgy Human-fingers slip off the beam. If he were still in Diamond City, he could fly his way out of this situation. Damn Humans.

He landed in a barrel of oil, hitting every bone in his squishy body. Police sirens came closer.

* * *

"I thought you left for good," Pauline said softly.

"I was going to."

"Then why did you come back?"

The two were approaching Pauline's apartment building. The streets were still pitch black and they were completely empty. Everyone must have gathered around the old construction site to watch see the sight. Pauline kept walking forward, but Waluigi stopped. She then stopped and turned around.

Waluigi reached into his pocket and pulled out something. The lamp-post beside him curled over him like a weeping willow. He was nothing but a shady figure in the night, and Pauline felt déjà vu. The lamp-post lit up – along with all the others on the block – and she saw that in his hand was a golden ring.

"I forgot to give you this."

She walked closer to him and took the ring carefully from his palm. She looked at it and smiled. Her arms wrapped around his thin figure. After a moment, she pulled away – only a small distance away from him. Her arms fell to her side, but she stayed close to him and he stayed close to her.

"What's the story behind that ring, anyway?"

Pauline read the inside of the ring to herself. "My boyfriend gave it to me a few years ago."

Waluigi felt his heart sink a bit. "What does it say on the inside?"

"_I love you with all my heart._" She looked at him with a smile. "When you're one of the few people on the streets of Brooklyn that speaks English, Italian, and French, you tend to meet a lot of people. So, we started going steady, but that was a long time ago. He just . . . sort of disappeared."

"Huh, strange."

"Yeah, but . . ." she trailed off.

"What was his name? Maybe I can find him."

Pauline laughed a little bit. "_Sure_," she said sarcastically. "If you ever find a man with blue eyes and a mustache named Mario, tell him Pauline said hi."

"I will."

Pauline wondered if he knew that she was being sarcastic, but she didn't bother telling him. "So," she swayed, "do you have a home to go back to now?"

"Sort of," he sighed. "I don't think that I'll be able to get your stuff back," he said this with slight shame.

Pauline felt rage, confusion, and ignorance towards that statement. She knew all her jewelry held certain memories and there were different stories behind each one, but the most important one was the ring. She had that with her now. _Did it matter that everything else was gone?_ she asked herself.

_No. _And that was her final thought on the subject.

"When can I see you again?"

Waluigi pondered this for a moment. Pauline waited anxiously for an answer.

"Uh, today's Tuesday, right?"

"Yes."

"Never."

Pauline's jaw dropped. "What?!"

Waluigi shrugged. "Sorry, Pauline. I've got places to be and people to see." He turned and started to run down the street. Pauline followed after him, telling him to stop, but he didn't listen. He turned around the curb and Pauline followed, but when she turned, he was gone.

"Wow," she said to herself as she looked around. "Two men in a row. That's so . . . weird." She turned back, wondering if every man she met was going to disappear.

Waluigi stood close to the side of the building's fire escape. He slunk down to the metal floor and sighed in slight relief.

* * *

**I promise ten chapters, I give ten chapters. One more to go. **

**So, this chapter . . .**

**With some major final edits, I think I made it better than the draft I wrote. 0.06% better, _at least_.**

**Could the entire thing be better? Yes. There's no question about it.  
**

**And after looking up some stuff on the interwebs and doing some further analysis, I realized that I've practically strayed completely from Waluigi's true character. At least, _I_ feel I have. AH, BUT THEN AGAIN, this story has to deal with the internal affairs of a man who is trying to change but constantly reminded that he cannot escape the past because the past has caught up to him. So, Waluigi being completely "out of it" is perfectly fine. **

**Paranoia, paranoia, go away ~**

**Criticism**** or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake **


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

**No More Rain**

It was not in fact one of the wettest summers that New York was going to experience, simply because after the event, there was no more rain. A month had passed and there had been no sign of a dense cloud, not even a tuff. Pauline felt it was a good thing. Her arm was over her stomach and her irregular breaths brought her slight comfort. She didn't remember how she ended up in her room. Her mind had been blank for hours and her actions were nearly uncontrollable. She didn't hurt herself, though. That was a good thing.

Her mind landed on that 'Klutz' guy that Waluigi had talked to on the beam back then. He was arrested, but no one knew who he was. It was almost as if he had just appeared out of nowhere. Then again, so did Waluigi. Pauline had seen him only twice before they formally met, but each time he would disappear before the sun set.

And her mind landed on Waluigi. He was a strange man. Unpredictable, unfaithful, sneaky, little, conniving . . .

Pauline looked over at the ring on the vanity. It was the only piece of jewelry left, but that didn't matter to Pauline a month ago, and she felt that it didn't matter now either.

He _did _come back.

He _did _give her the ring back instead of trading it in.

He _did _save her life.

Perhaps Waluigi wasn't as bad as she initially thought. But, he was gone now, and she felt the slightest bit happy that he was.

Pauline looked out her window and down at the black lamp-post. There was no one nearby. She looked away and lay back down on the squeaky bed.

She would follow the same morning routine of looking out her bedroom window for the next few weeks.

* * *

The black Bob-Omb before the six exploded, sending them all to the ground. Waluigi shook his head and rubbed his temples. Luigi advanced towards him, a fierce scowl on his face. He pointed his tennis racket directly at the purple plumber's pointed nose. "Luigi not afraid," he repeated in a cross voice. Waluigi smirked and pushed the racket away from his face with his index finger. Luigi pulled it back quickly. He walked away confidently. Waluigi let out an irritated sigh. That Luigi guy was definitely going to be a problem.

Mario made his way away from Bowser and headed towards the locker rooms. Waluigi told him to wait and Mario turned, confused.

Waluigi stood up. "You're" – he paused – "Mario, right?" He dusted himself off.

Mario nodded. He didn't say much, Waluigi noticed.

Waluigi bent down to grab his tennis racket. "Pauline says hi." Then the lanky man walked away, without another word.

_**The End ~**_

* * *

**Remember when Luigi wasn't a wimp in the Mario games? Ah well. The last bit won't really make sense if you've never seen the intro to Mario Tennis 64. I hate spinoff games, but this was fitting. **

**The voice in my head is not pleased. I'm not pleased either. This epilogue is better than the other one, which is good, but the entire story . . . I'm just so disappointed. I'm going to rewrite this and post it up again - possibly get a beta reader, but only if my paranoia eases enough to allow me to get one. **

**Aaaaand there we have it. The first story of mine that is complete and is not a one-shot. This is the most active I've ever been on FF. I'll go back to trying to focus on every other story that I've gotten myself into. **

**My special thanks to all those that reviewed the story while it was in progress: Coooool123, Verran, Bobby Fruggart (guest), Guest (guest), Derpderpina (guest), and the pick-it fence! I'm glad that you all enjoyed the story. **

**Criticism**** or not, all reviews are welcome!**

**- Great Mistake**


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